• Doomsday clock now at 11:55PM
    62 replies, posted
[quote]It is five minutes to midnight. Two years ago, it appeared that world leaders might address the truly global threats that we face. In many cases, that trend has not continued or been reversed. For that reason, the [I]Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists[/I] is moving the clock hand one minute closer to midnight, back to its time in 2007.[/quote] [B] [url=http://www.thebulletin.org/content/media-center/announcements/2012/01/10/doomsday-clock-moves-to-five-minutes-to-midnight]Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists[/url][/B] [url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/doomsday-clock-ticks-closer-to-midnight/2012/01/10/gIQAXpKfoP_blog.html]The Washington Post[/url] Reasons cited include the possibly furthered possession of nuclear arms and less progress towards dealing with the climate and ecological crises. I know it's symbolic, but it always creeps me out a bit to read about this. List of things that are recommended to avert further decline: [quote] -Ratification by the United States and China of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and progress on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty; -Implementing multinational management of the civilian nuclear energy fuel cycle with strict standards for safety, security, and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, including eliminating reprocessing for plutonium separation; -Strengthening the International Atomic Energy Agency's capacity to oversee nuclear materials, technology development, and its transfer; -Adopting and fulfilling climate change agreements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through tax incentives, harmonized domestic regulation and practice; -Transforming the coal power sector of the world economy to retire older plants and to require in new plants the capture and storage of the CO2 they produce; -Vastly increasing public and private investments in alternatives to carbon emitting energy sources, such as solar and wind, and in technologies for energy storage, and sharing the results worldwide. [/quote]
Hmm, I got 7 even?
I don't get it. How does this thing work?
SO...this is bad news then? Right?
They should assemble a team of elite commandos to infiltrate the building where the Doomsday Clock is held and set the time back six or seven hours. I can't believe anyone would be devious enough to construct such a weapon of mass destruction and than making ridiculous demands like "nuclear weapon treaties with the commies" Bunch of terrorists holding the world ransom. Why doesn't Obama do anything?
We put co2 in fizzy drinks right. Why don't power plants just collect their co2, purify it, then give it to drinks companies to put in their drinks.
Even as a symbolic move it's overly cynical. We are nowhere near that close to doomsday, the world has improved quite a lot since it's introduction - including environmentally and diplomatically. I'm a huge supporter of environmental issues and climate change, but this is scaremongering bullshit.
The doomsday clock is silly.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;34154068]I don't get it. How does this thing work?[/QUOTE] It's sorta like a threat level system - the closer it is to Midnight the more dangers there are of Armageddon, etc.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;34154068]I don't get it. How does this thing work?[/QUOTE] If I'm thinking correctly, it means how close we are to societal doomsday.
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;34154098]Even as a symbolic move it's overly cynical. We are nowhere near that close to doomsday, the world has improved quite a lot since it's introduction - including environmentally and diplomatically. I'm a huge supporter of environmental issues and climate change, but this is scaremongering bullshit.[/QUOTE] you realize it's not common for it to be below like 7 or 8 minutes? hell it was two minutes at one point in time
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;34154068]I don't get it. How does this thing work?[/QUOTE] The closer it gets to 12/Midnight, then it is the belief that the world will fall into a Nuclear disaster. Since 2007, the clock was also used for climate change that could harm humanity. Basically, when the "scientists" feel it's "midnight", we're all fucked.
[QUOTE=Saza;34154116]you realize it's not common for it to be below like 7 or 8 minutes? hell it was two minutes at one point in time[/QUOTE] I could understand during the Cuba Missile Crisis, but apart from a few fleeting moments, the people who run the clock seem to be desperate to scare people themselves in order to seem relevant.
So what state would the world be in if it was noon?
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;34154068]I don't get it. How does this thing work?[/QUOTE] Scientists read up on global affairs and if they deem that humanity is being self destructive they move the minute hand closer to midnight. It's a bit of a anachronism from the cold war.
[QUOTE=Mikesword221;34154068]I don't get it. How does this thing work?[/QUOTE] The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists basicly judge how far away humanity is from blowing itself up, 00:00 being Doomsday. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Doomsday_Clock_graph.svg/600px-Doomsday_Clock_graph.svg.png[/img] When troubling things like nuclear arms proliferation and-more recently- global warming arise, the clock minuet hand is moved towards midnight. I think it's basic message it try to put across is "Nukes are bad m'kay?"
it doesn't do just nuclear war, they also take into account climate change and other things humans can prevent
[QUOTE=Lambeth;34154165]it doesn't do just nuclear war, they also take into account climate change and other things humans can prevent[/QUOTE] When it was created it was just centred around nuclear arms, since it was around the time when we knew little about them, and just before the cold war, I guess they decide to expand to more modern concerns.
oh, cool. Let me know when we're back to 2 minutes to midnight, that's when the public should start worrying. That generally means leaders have completely failed by that point and that it's time to find a fallout shelter. Or build one. [quote]-Vastly increasing public and private investments in alternatives to carbon emitting energy sources, such as solar and wind, and in technologies for energy storage, and sharing the results worldwide.[/quote] No. Don't invest in that hippy-ass bullshit that doesn't work unless it's under very specific conditions. Solar power only works on sunny days and doesn't work at night, and wind power only works if it's windy. Which it isn't always. As a result these methods aren't effective for powering anything reasonably large. Hell, my solar calculators don't work half the time because of this. If you're going to invest in clean energy, go for technologies that actually stand a chance of being useful. Fusion, for example. Or new hydroelectric installations, if you want to invest in a proven green power source. Investing in a power source that by definition only works 12 out of 24 hours on average is no better than setting your money on fire.[QUOTE=Lambeth;34154165]it doesn't do just nuclear war, they also take into account climate change and other things humans can prevent[/QUOTE] We can't prevent climate change any more than we can prevent the sun rising in the morning. The planet goes through heating and cooling cycles naturally. If the planet wants it to be warm, it's gonna be warm, if the planet wants an ice age, there's nothing our Suburbans can do to stop it.
[QUOTE=EragonRulez;34154149]So what state would the world be in if it was noon?[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.michaelshowalter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Paradise-Found.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=EragonRulez;34154149]So what state would the world be in if it was noon?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=stupid07er;34154448][img]http://www.michaelshowalter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Paradise-Found.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] [img]http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files/30006024/2011/11/2011-11-18-12-06-16-1-as-part-of-benettons-new-advertising-campaign-th.jpeg[/img] [img]http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files/30006024/2011/11/2011-11-18-12-06-16-4-benettons-unhate-campaign-includes-the-image-of-n.jpeg[/img] [img]http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files/30006024/2011/11/2011-11-18-12-06-16-2-this-picture-shows-chinas-leader-hu-jintao-and-ba.jpeg[/img]
We have a doomsday clock ?
[QUOTE=stupid07er;34154448][IMG]http://www.michaelshowalter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Paradise-Found.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Those waves are killing hundreds of micro organisms, that's closer to 1:00 PM EDIT: And all of those animals are too dense on the planet and will most likely cause global warming with their CO2
[QUOTE=stupid07er;34154448][img]http://www.michaelshowalter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Paradise-Found.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] and all the human carcasses are rotting away under the ocean floor
[QUOTE=stupid07er;34154448][img]http://www.michaelshowalter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Paradise-Found.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] [img]http://www.yakimamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Really-like.jpg[/img] + [img]http://campfire.andycamper.com/wp-content/media/2011/06/fish-02.jpg[/img] ???
and this means absolutely nothing
[QUOTE=TestECull;34154286] We can't prevent climate change any more than we can prevent the sun rising in the morning. The planet goes through heating and cooling cycles naturally. If the planet wants it to be warm, it's gonna be warm, if the planet wants an ice age, there's nothing our Suburbans can do to stop it.[/QUOTE] Global warming then [editline]10th January 2012[/editline] that is a better word for it
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;34154143]I could understand during the Cuba Missile Crisis, but apart from a few fleeting moments, the people who run the clock seem to be desperate to scare people themselves in order to seem relevant.[/QUOTE] And then we get the hurricanes and droughts all over the world in recent years. Not to mention Fukushima and a few dozen oil catastrophes.
One minute to midnight: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7XTqHbsrdY[/media]
[QUOTE=TestECull;34154286]oh, cool. Let me know when we're back to 2 minutes to midnight, that's when the public should start worrying. That generally means leaders have completely failed by that point and that it's time to find a fallout shelter. Or build one. No. Don't invest in that hippy-ass bullshit that doesn't work unless it's under very specific conditions. Solar power only works on sunny days and doesn't work at night, and wind power only works if it's windy. Which it isn't always. As a result these methods aren't effective for powering anything reasonably large. Hell, my solar calculators don't work half the time because of this. If you're going to invest in clean energy, go for technologies that actually stand a chance of being useful. Fusion, for example. Or new hydroelectric installations, if you want to invest in a proven green power source. Investing in a power source that by definition only works 12 out of 24 hours on average is no better than setting your money on fire. We can't prevent climate change any more than we can prevent the sun rising in the morning. The planet goes through heating and cooling cycles naturally. If the planet wants it to be warm, it's gonna be warm, if the planet wants an ice age, there's nothing our Suburbans can do to stop it.[/QUOTE] It's like you know nothing about solar and wind power. I was trying to mock your post with "duh, solar only when sun" but then I realized you already posted that. And where is hydroelectric energy to come from? And you still somehow manage to ignore how ice cores and stone layers showed us that CO2 NEVER in the history of Earth has risen that fast in that little time, not even before or after the biggest and quickest Ice Ages. Even then it took TENS of THOUSANDS of years for the planet to do what we needed roughly 150 years for.
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